In brief: Washington Senate passes $18M in drought relief

OLYMPIA – The Washington Senate has approved $18 million in emergency drought relief as lawmakers wrapped up its first special session Thursday.

But the House hasn’t taken action yet, so the Department of Ecology is waiting for about $9.6 million it requested to help farmers and others facing hardships from water shortages.

Ecology first asked for money in March, when Gov. Jay Inslee declared a drought emergency in the Yakima, Walla Walla and Dungeness regions. This month, Inslee extended that emergency declaration statewide.

The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved Senate Bill 6125, which would make $18 million available over two years. The money would be used to lease water for farmers, protect fish and help municipalities or others with drought-related projects, such as drilling emergency wells.

The state is projecting $1.2 billion in crop losses from the drought.

U.S. report: All of Idaho in, or heading into, drought

BOISE – According to a United States Drought Monitor report, all of Idaho is now in a drought or heading into a drought.

The Idaho Statesman reported that the new statistics contrast with May 2014, when the drought monitoring website reported only 52 percent of the state was under some sort of drought condition.

U.S. Geological Survey spokesman Tim Merrick said most of Owyhee County is experiencing extreme drought and the Coeur d’Alene basin is at historic lows.

USGS Idaho Water Science Center data chief David Evetts said Idaho isn’t in the same shape as California, but unless precipitation picks up this year, Idaho could be in a crisis in 2016.

The last time Idaho had such widespread drought conditions was 2005.

Sen. Dean Cameron appointed Department of Insurance director

BOISE – Gov. Butch Otter has appointed state Sen. Dean Cameron of Rupert to oversee the Idaho Department of Insurance.

Otter announced Friday that the 13-term Republican lawmaker will be the new director effective June 15.

Cameron is co-chair of the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful legislative committees in the Idaho Statehouse. He also owns an insurance and securities investment company in Rupert.

The insurance position has been open since former Director Bill Deal left at the end of 2014.

A Republican legislative committee from Cameron’s district will nominate candidates to succeed him in the Senate.

The governor will then choose one of those candidates to complete Cameron’s term.

Committee assignments will be picked at a later date.

Emergency dispatch system’s launch delayed after failed tests

EVERETT – The launch of a multimillion-dollar emergency dispatch project in Snohomish County has been delayed again after it failed in tests simulating a large disaster.

The Herald reported that the New World system delayed emergency communication by up to three minutes. It also kicked users off and wouldn’t let them log back in, a problem that even affected the Everett fire chief.

The June 9 launch was canceled.

Parent who visited UO student 7th to be infected with meningitis

EUGENE – Public health officials say a parent who visited the campus of the University of Oregon in early May was infected with the bacteria that can cause meningitis.

The 52-year-old man is the seventh person with meningococcal disease since a campus outbreak began in January. The others were students. One died.

The outbreak has left public health officials frustrated because fewer than half of the 22,000 students they’d hoped to vaccinate have gotten shots.

The state Health Authority said Friday the parent’s case demonstrates that the disease is lingering on the campus and students should get vaccinated.

The agency said the man visited his daughter May 2-3. It said his close contacts have gotten preventive antibiotic treatment.